My garden is still supplying me with zucchini at a pretty regular pace, so recently I decided a new version of stuffed zucchini should be on the menu. I had some Cotija cheese that was left from a dish my brother Rand had made when he was visiting, so I guess that's what inspired me to go with a Mexican-themed version for this Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini with Brown Rice, Black Beans, Chiles, Cheddar, and Cotija Cheese.

If you're not familiar with it, Cotija is a type of hard, crumbly Mexican cheese. It made a nice topping for these Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchinis with Brown Rice, Black Beans, Green Chiles, and Cheese, but if you don't have it you could use Parmesan, Feta, and or even a little more of the cheese blend that's used in the stuffing.

I used some of those adorable little round 8-Ball Zucchinis that I love so much, but if you don't have those, use a larger zucchini cut in chunks and then scooped out to make zucchini "cups." The first time I made these the cheese got too brown and the zucchini wasn't quite as tender as I wanted it, so Jake and I came up with the idea of cooking the stuffed zucchinis covered for the first 20 minutes and then taking the foil off for another 30 minutes cooking time. That time we thought they were perfect, and just right for a Meatless Monday meal!

Drain a can of black beans into a colander, rinse with cold water, and let them drain while you prep the zucchini.

I used half 8-Ball Zucchinis (on the right) and half large zucchinis cut into 3 inch pieces (on the left).

Use a small sharp spoon or a melon baller to scoop out the flesh of the zucchini, leaving a thin layer of zucchini flesh next to the skin. (I didn't use the zucchini pulp that I scooped out, but you could use it if you were short on rice.)

Thinly slice enough green onions to make one cup and drain a can of diced green chiles.

To make the filling, mix together cooked brown rice, sour cream, sliced green onions, black beans, low-fat Mexican cheese blend, and green chiles. You can add a little Green Tabasco Sauce if you want to make it a bit spicier. (We did.)

Use a spoon to fill with zucchini with the stuffing mixture, pressing it down so it's tightly filling the inside of the zucchini.

Cover the dish and bake the filled zucchinis for 20 minutes at 350F/180C.

Then remove the foil and use a spoon to press about a few teaspoons of Cotija cheese (or other cheese of your choice) on to the top of the zucchini.

Bake about 30 minutes more, or until the filling is bubbling hot and the cheese is nicely browned. Serve hot.

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Spray a baking dish with olive oil or nonstick spray. (Use a dish that holds the zucchini without letting them move around too much if you can.)

Drain the black beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse with cold water until no more foam appears. Let the beans drain while you prepare the zucchini. If you don't have enough 8-Ball zucchini, cut a large long zucchini into 3 inch lengths. Then use a melon baller or a sharp spoon to scoop out the inside of the zucchini, leaving a thin layer of flesh next to the skin. Slice green onions and drain the can of diced green chiles.

Blot the beans dry with paper towels if they are still wet. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the black beans, sliced green onions, diced green chiles, cooked rice, sour cream, and low-fat cheese. Gently mix to combine, then taste the mixture and see if you want to add the optional Green Tabasco Sauce. (We did, but we weren't making it for kids.)

Arrange the zucchini in the baking pan. Use a spoon to fill each zucchini ball or cup with the stuffing mixture, pressing it down so the inside of the zucchini is tightly packed with stuffing. Cover the dish and bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, take zucchini out of the oven, remove the foil, and use a spoon to carefully press about 2 tsp. crumbled Cotija cheese (or other cheese of your choice) on to the top of each zucchini. Put the zucchinis back into the oven and cook about 30 minutes more, or until zucchini is tender, stuffing is bubbling hot, and the cheese on top is nicely browned. Serve hot.

These will keep in the refrigerator for a day or two and they can be reheated in the microwave or in a toaster oven.

I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you.

More Meatless Ideas with Zucchini:
(Recipes from other blogs not always South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)

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Posts may include links to my affiliate account at Amazon.com, and this blog earns a few cents on the dollar if readers purchase the items I recommend, so thanks for supporting my blog when you shop at Amazon!

So happy that so people are liking this idea. This was my first time using Cotija cheese, which is mild but quite salty. I'd say it tastes a bit like Feta but not so creamy (although I think there is a creamy and a crumbly type of Cotija and we had the crumbly type.)

For anyone who hasn't had them, I love, love, love the 8-Ball zucchinis. And they grow just as easily as the regular type.

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